In some mobile networks, user devices (e.g., smartphones, computers, mobile handsets, or other user equipment (UE)) may be connected to a core network and/or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). Each mobile network may include transceivers, such as base stations, node Bs, or evolved node Bs (eNBs), for facilitating communications between user devices, networks, and/or nodes (e.g., web and media servers). In a voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) environment, an eGTP protocol may be used to transport Internet protocol (IP) packets from external packet networks to user devices.
While an eGTP protocol may be used to transport IP packets between various portions of an LTE or an evolved packet core (EPC) network, problems can arise during mobility events. To ensure that no packets are lost during mobility events and to increase end to end reliability, some traffic may be sent back to a core network for transmission to another destination. For example, traffic originating in the Internet may be routed through the core network towards a user device. When the user device detaches from a first eNB and moves to a second eNB, the packets that are already on the way towards the first eNB may need to be routed through indirect tunnels (e.g., via various nodes in the core network) to the second eNB.
While routing packets to the core network may prevent packets from being lost in conventional LTE networks, mobile network equipment simulation and/or testing platforms add further complexity. For example, a LTE node simulator may simulate multiple eNBs and user devices. Each simulated eNB may be responsible for transferring data between multiple user devices and for handling numerous mobility events. As a result, the simulator must simulate mobility events for multiple user devices and handle multiple instances of indirect tunneling. Thus, mobile network equipment simulation and/or testing platforms may require initiating indirect tunneling in an efficient and highly scalable manner.
Accordingly, in light of these difficulties, a need exists for improved methods, systems, and computer readable media for initiating eGTP indirect tunneling.